: P.O.BOX 5728 SRT NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110055 (BHARAT); Email : [email protected] No. Sm1306/2070 (For Private Circulation Only) Ashaddha 9 Vik Samvat 2070. Yugabda 5115 Tel: 91-11- 23684445; Fax: 91-11-23517722 1 July 2013. 1. FESTIVALS: Shayani or Maha- Approx 5000 volunteers are serving ekadashi is Aashadh Shukla 11, July 19 this year, tirelessly in different areas including flood also known as Ashadhi Ekadashi. On this day affected valleys and plains like Haridwar, images of and are worshipped, Rishikesh, etc. the entire night is spent singing prayers, and There are many places where roads are devotees keep fast and take vows on this day, to be completely washed away. There is no way for observed during the entire . These may the vehicular traffic to tread on. Volunteers have include, giving up a food item or fasting on every to walk kilometres together carrying the relief Ekadashi day. It is believed that Vishnu falls material on their backs. They are also crossing asleep in Ksheersagar on n āga. Thus the tough & high hills with the load of relief items, day is also called Dev-Shayani or -shayani trying to reach far flung villages. Ekadashi. Vishnu finally awakens from his In Chamba, there is a camp running since slumber four months later on 22 June where approx 10,000 people are being – Shukla 11, this period is known as provided food and medical treatment regularly. Chaturmas. Chamba is a place which is a junction This day, a huge or religious procession of which connects all four ways of Chardham pilgrims known as Pandharpur Ashadi Ekadasi Yatra (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath & Waari Yatra culminates at Pandharpur, in Solapur Badrinath). A huge shelter has been established district in south . in village Dikhol near Chamba where pilgrims 2. UTTARANCHAL DAIVI APADA PEEDIT are being provided food, medicine and SAHAYATA SAMITI (UDAPSS) everything they need. DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND : RSS Transport assistance provided to approx swayamsevaks and its affiliated organizations 8,200 yatris from Uttarkashi & Chinyali Saudh were in the forefront of rescue – relief and to Rishikesh from 21st June to 24th June, by rehabilitation efforts during the recent tragedy in available vehicles: Bus, truck, car, sumo, jeep, Uttarakhand region where thousands of pilgrims tempo & police vehicles etc. stranded on the mountains, cut off from the world, Approx 200 villages are worst affected in and many of them lost their lives. Following is the floods and some of them are totally washed brief report by Sewa International Team visiting out. Volunteers are trying their best to reach out the areas affected by flash floods. to these villages/villagers and provide them Total 15 centers are being run at different initial relief. places: Rishikesh, Chamba, Dhansali, Flood devastated villagers, who have been Joshimath, Karnprayag, Chamoli, Srinagar, rendered shelterless, are being shifted to safer Netwar, Haridwar, Dehradun, Pokhari, Dhatyud, places and temporary shelters by volunteers. Uttarkashi, Guptkashi, Maneri etc. From the day 1 (16-June) till now 20 truck Types of Camps: Food distribution, loads of relief material have been sent to flood medical camps, rescue assistance, transportation affected areas from Dehradun alone that to safe places, helpline centres for relatives of contains: pulses, rice, sugar, tea, spices, clothes, yatrees, blankets, milk powder, water bottles, medicines,

1

biscuits, and packed food etc. Material supplies 70 Houses in Joshiyada village were from other centres like Rishikesh, Haridwar, etc completely washed away, causing many are also being sent. Some of the camps above casualties. Rotary Club donated 35 tents to mentioned are being supported by various affected families and our volunteer team is charity organizations with truckloads of raw providing them food, cloths, gas cylinders, food material. Even the civil supplies being medicines, blankets and all necessary items. supplied by the Uttarkhand Government is Three relief camps in Uttarkashi district reaching our camps because of the paucity of are working round the clock – Maneri, volunteers. Lakshyeswar and Naitawaar. Army and Indo-Tibet Border Force The volunteers serving in the Narayana personnel are being assisted by volunteers in Koti, Rudraprayag relief camp have identified rescue operations and providing the personnel 27 babies- 6months to 4 years- who have been with food, shelter and all other possible orphaned or are left with their lone mother or necessary help. grandparents due to the floods. Volunteers have Three teams from UDAPSS sent to three already provided some sort of service for the different locations, namely- 1.Badrinath- babies and are working on their appropriate Hemkund Sahib, 2. Kedarnath, & 3. Gangotri- rehabilitation. Yamunotri- for surveying the area and assessing The rehabilitation program will require the loss of life and property. This will help is in experts in construction in Himalayan/hilly planning the rehabilitation program. region for designing and constructing houses. The floods have also affected the schools, Huge funding would be required for the hostels run by UDAPSS, Vidya Bharati and proposed rehabilitation program in which other organizations in a big way which will houses, community centres, schools, clinics, etc surely affect the student population. One such will have to be reconstructed. Doctors and major project which was established after the health assistants are also needed in good number 1991 earthquake is located in Maneri (14 kms for reaching out to many flood affected villages. from Uttarkashi), Sewashram which is a school We would provide the details of these with residential facility. Twelve rooms of this requirements soon. hostel are washed away in this flood. UDAPSS and Sewa International have Remaining part of hostel has been appealed for donations. Please visit converted to a relief camp (providing food, www.sewainternational.org for more medicines, shelter) for needy people. Rotary information. Club and Azim Premji Club were impressed by 3. BHARAT'S FIRST EVER DEDICATED the Sewa offered here by the dedicated NAVIGATION SATELLITE LAUNCHED: In volunteers and have supported this camp with a landmark journey into a new era of space relief materials. This camp was started on 18th application, Bharat on July 2 successfully June. This is the nearest location to Gangotri and launched its first dedicated navigation satellite people started streaming in soon after the floods. using the Polar satellite Launch Vehicle which Till now 7,500 pilgrims (including army blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre soldiers) were provided food for 7 days round at Shriharikota – Andhra Pradesh. the clock. The country's workhorse PSLV ejected IRNSS-1A Women from Bhubaneshwari Ashram satellite, the first of the seven satellites have been actively volunteering since the camp constituting the Indian Regional Navigation is established, supporting the camp with cooking Satellite System (IRNSS) space segment, which food at Maneri Sewashram Camp. has a mission life of 10 years. It is designed to 2 provide accurate position information service to Parents of the participating children were users in the country as well as the region overjoyed on the occasion. Shreya Venkatesh, a extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary. contestant (13) from Phoenix, AZ said that she "IRNSS-1A was launched at a cost of enjoyed learning (Hindu) culture and about Swami approximately Rs 125 crore," ISRO chairman K Vivekananda. Another contestant, Suhas Radhakrishnan said after the launch. Consisting of Subramaniam (13) from San Diego felt that this a space segment and a ground segment, IRNSS was an opportunity to learn about great has three satellites in geostationary orbit and four personalities from the national and cultural past. satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbit and is Subramaniam said, “I knew about Shri Krishna, to be completed before 2015. but because of Dharma Bee, I got to know a lot The launch was "very precise" he said, adding that about Swami Vivekananda.” when the target of apogee was aimed at 20,650 km “We are extremely happy to report that more than plus or minus 750 km, the rocket achieved an 1000 Sewa (service) projects were executed by apogee of 20,625 km. children all across the USA. Parents and children 4. NATIONAL DHARMA BEE CONTEST: are already requesting similar future events,” said Dharma Bee, the first national contest of its kind Sreevidya Radhakrishna, National Coordinator of in the U.S., which drew well over 3,000 children Dharma Bee. HSS conducts a structured values from around the country, concluded in Chicago on education program through its 150 chapters June 15. The Dharma Bee tested students' nationwide to develop strong character and knowledge about Vivekananda and other Hindu teamwork and leadership skills and to organize a leaders in a written test, oral presentation and team dynamic and flourishing Hindu-American project. It included speech contest, poster community. presentation, written test and team activity in four 5. UTTARAKHAND TRAGEDY: The lesson age groups between grades K-8th grade. More here is: Don’t abuse Nature - A week after than 130 children, short-listed from regional several hundred people have lost their lives and competitions, were invited to participate in the thousands remain untraced in the disaster that hit final round held in Chicago on June 15. Uttarakhand, the authorities are coming around to Congresswoman Tulasi Gabbard, Chief Guest for the view that they had grievously erred in ignoring the function, in her remarks on the occasion of the warning signals which were put out by official prize distribution on June 16, said the Dharma Bee agencies and non-Governmental organisations. was not just a competition to win a medal or title Perhaps, they had believed that the red flag was as the children have taken to their hearts the merely an instance of crying wolf. The devastation teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and have found a that has occurred will have disabused them of this way to understand the message. notion. Besides effectively proceeding with the “By dovetailing the message of Lord Krishna in relief operations, the Government — both at the Bhagavad Gita in whatever we do, we are trying to Centre and in the State — must at least now do service in the name of Sri Krishna, and thus revamp the entire ‘development model' which they spiritualize it,” Gabbard said. wrongly believe is in the interests of the people. Pujya Swami Ishatmananda ji of Vivekananda The people definitely want development, but they Vedanta Society said, “Dharma” has a profound do not want death and destruction alongside. meaning namely, “that which holds.” Dharma Bee Unfortunately, even now, Uttarakhand Chief goes to good things like honey bee goes to the Minister Vijay Bahuguna is trying to play down choicest of flowers and pick the best, the Swami ji the warnings on the pretext that not all of those said while praising the apt name given to the were “specific”. Yet, 48 hours before disaster competition. struck, on June 13, the Regional Meteorological 3

Centre in Delhi forecast heavy rains across but it has struggled to put together a Uttarakhand. Over the next few days, the warnings comprehensive response; it’s an area that needs kept coming, and even though they did not clarify urgent attention. (Editorial, The Pioneer, 24 June the exact areas that would be affected, it was easy 2013) to see that the traditionally vulnerable places of 6. TWO MANUSCRIPTS FROM NEPAL Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag — all NOW IN UNESCO’S PRESTIGIOUS pilgrim hotspots at this time of the year — would MEMORY: Two Nepali manuscripts of world be worst hit. Still, it was not until June 16 that the significance are now in UNESCO’s Memory of Uttarakhand Government issued a disaster the World Register. The Nisvasattatvasa_hita, the warning. And even then, the pilgrimage was not earliest surviving tantric manuscript, and the stopped. The next day, as many as 12 bridges Susrutasamhita, the oldest document in the field of collapsed, leaving thousands stranded. Many of Ayurveda medicine, have been added on June 18 the people are yet to be rescued. to the prestigious list recognizing documentary Also, long before the meteorological centre issued heritage of outstanding value. They are the first its warnings, the Comptroller and Auditor-General inscriptions from Nepal in the Register, UNESCO had advised against the rampant destruction of the Kathmandu Office said in a press release on June Garhwal Himalayas. Three years ago, while 19. assessing the environmental impact of proposed “I congratulate Nepal for the inscriptions of the hydro-power plants — 42 are already in operation two manuscripts in the Memory of the World and more than 200 are in the pipeline — along the Register. I am confident that their inclusion in the Bhagirathi and the Alakananda rivers, the CAG Register contributes to creating greater awareness had said that the projects were weakening the of the need to preserve Nepal’s memory held in mountains. The report also highlighted the perils the country’s archives and libraries”, said Axel of deforestation and the erosion of river beds. It Plathe, UNESCO representative to Nepal. The pointed out that most projects had no plans for Nisvasattatvasa_hita Manuscript, which is environmental protection; and even when there deposited at the National Archives, is said to be were provisions for conservation, such as planting the earliest surviving tantric manuscript and as a certain number of trees to offset the loss caused such it is important source for the early history of by construction, they were ignored. The CAG's tantrism. It has had a great influence in shaping warnings were repeated by the Wildlife Institute of other tantric texts. The 1134 year old palm leaf Bharat in its 2012 report, commissioned by the manuscript of the Susrutasamhita (Sahottartantra), Government, to study the feasibility of 24 power held by the Keshar Library in Kathmandu, is projects in the region. Not only did the WII considered as the oldest document in the field of conclude that the projects must be scrapped, it also Ayurveda medicine, a systematic and formal put out a slew of recommendations to maintain the tradition of healing that became South Asia's fragile eco-system of the young Himalayas. But, principal medical system and has profoundly just as the authorities had forgotten all about the influenced all cultures surrounding South Asia National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan including Tibet, Central Asia, China, South-East Ecosystem launched in 2008, they also turned a Asia and the Middle East. The two manuscripts deaf ear to the warnings from various quarters, from Nepal are among 54 new additions to the cautioning against such disastrous ‘development'. Memory of the World Register, approved on June The only silver lining here is the way in which our 18 by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. Armed Forces have conducted successful rescue 7. NEW YORK'S TIMES SQUARE operations. The National Disaster Management BECOMES YOGA'S OM SWEET OM: Some Authority has also sought to lend a helping hand, 16,000 yoga aficionados turned up at New York’s 4

Times Square on 22 nd June 2013, the longest day 9. MAHENDRAPARVATA, 1,200-YEAR-OLD of the year for open air yogabhyas from sunrise to LOST MEDIEVAL CITY IN CAMBODIA, sunset. What has been a three-person exercise a UNEARTHED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS: A decade ago has now grown into a thousand-stron lost medieval city that thrived on a mist-shrouded annual event that celebrates “mind over madness”. Cambodian mountain 1,200 years ago has been Although in California court is an ongoing case discovered by archaeologists using revolutionary against a school district that established a yoga airborne laser technology. In what it called a world program with a $500.000 grant from the K exclusive, the Sydney Morning Herald said the Pattabhi Jois Foundation, aimed at helping city, Mahendraparvata, included temples hidden elementary schools students focus on studies, keep by jungle for centuries, many of which have not calm, and contain aggressive behaviour. The been looted. participants at Times Square did not take any The expedition used an instrument called Lidar -- congziance of it. light detection and ranging data -- which was 8. CALIFORNIA DECLARES OCTOBER strapped to a helicopter that criss-crossed a HINDU AMERICAN AWARENESS mountain north of Angkor Wat for seven days, APPRECIATION MONTH: "California and our providing data that matched years of ground nation have greatly benefited by Hindu research by archaeologists. It effectively peeled Americans, especially through yoga, meditation, away the jungle canopy using billions of laser Vedanta philosophy, ayurvedic medicine, classical pulses, allowing archaeologists to see structures Indian music, art, and dance..." that were in perfect squares, completing a map of In a historic moment for Hindu Americans on June the city which years of painstaking ground 24, the California State Senate unanimously research had been unable to achieve. passed Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR 32): It helped reveal the city that reportedly founded California Hindu American Awareness and the Angkor Empire in 802 AD, uncovering more Appreciation Month. Introduced by State Senate than two dozen previously unrecorded temples and Majority Leader, Ellen Corbett (10th Senate evidence of ancient canals, dykes and roads using District), SCR 32 designates October 2013 as satellite navigation coordinates gathered from the California Hindu American and Appreciation instrument's data. Month and "recognize[s] and acknowledge[s] the Jean-Baptiste Chevance, Director of the significant contributions made by Californians of Archaeology and Development Foundation in Hindu heritage to the state." London who led the expedition, said it was known "As the Senator representing the 10th State Senate from ancient scriptures that a great warrior, District, I am honored to represent constituents Jayavarman II, had a mountain capital, "but we from many diverse backgrounds, including a didn't know how all the dots fitted, exactly how it significant number of Hindu Americans," said all came together". Majority Leader Corbett. "California is home to a "We now know from the new data the city was for thriving community of over 370,000 Hindu sure connected by roads, canals and dykes," he Americans that enrich our state's diversity and said. The discovery is set to be published in the professional assets in fields as diverse as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences academia, science, technology, business, arts and in the United States. literature. I thank my colleagues for supporting "We need to preserve the area because it's the SCR 32 today that recognizes Hindu American origin of our culture," secretary of state at contributions in California, as well as designates Cambodia's Ministry of Culture, Chuch Phoeun, October 2013 in their honor." said.

5

Angkor Wat was at one time the largest pre- The Memorandum said that the MRM believed industrial city in the world, and is considered one that the report and recommendations made by the of the ancient wonders of the world. interlocutors appointed by the Government of It was constructed from the early to mid 1100s by Bharat on Jammu and Kashmir issue were King Suryavarman II at the height of the Khmer detrimental to the national security, and injurious Empire's political and military power. to social harmony. J & K has been the integral and 10. BHARATIYA AMERICAN inseparable territory of Bharat, and any YOUNGSTERS TRACE THE FOOTSTEPS compromise with the territorial integrity of J & K OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA IN AMERICA: should not be tolerated. More than a century after Swami Vivekananda The memorandum stated that Article 370 which travelled to America, youngsters of Bharatiya guaranteed special status to J & K was in fact origin, are hitting the trail and visiting places responsible for the backwardness of the state. where the Swami visited, stayed and delivered 12. BRAHMOS CAN'T BE INTERCEPTED lectures. The program named 'Vivekananda IN NEXT 20 YEARS: PILLAI: "The equivalent Express' has been facilitated by the Hindu of BrahMos is yet to built. And, in the next 20 Swayamsevak Sangh USA, to mark the 150th birth years, it cannot be intercepted by an enemy," says anniversary celebrations. As part of the series of A Sivathanu Pillai, scientist, and CEO and MD of visits planned, over a hundred young professionals BrahMos Aerospace sharing the vision for the of the Silicon Valley and students of nearby future trajectory of growth for the iconic missile Universities and schools visited the First Unitarian technology developed jointly by Bharat and Church of Oakland where Swami Vivekananda Russia. gave a speech in the year 1900. The speech is Pillai, also Chief Controller (R and D), DRDO and known to have brought many residents of hailed largely as the "father of BrahMos" mentions Berkeley in contact with his message and later led "missile technology" as one of the 10 key and to the establishment of the Vedanta Society at "unique leap-frog technologies" for building a Berkeley. securer and greater future of Bharat, "driven by 11. MUSLIM BODY URGES PRESIDENT youth power" in a new book which he has co- TO REJECT INTERLOCUTORS’ REPORT authored with the former President APJ Kalam. ON J & K: A delegation of Muslim Rashtriya Titled "Thoughts for Change: We can Do It", by Manch (MRM) called on Rashtrapati Pranab two renowned scientific minds aims to be a clarion Mukherjee and urged him to direct the Union call to the youth of Bharat to "reclaim its ancient Government to reject the report and scientific wisdom" even as it exhorts them to recommendations of the Dilip Padgaonkar embrace and work towards building a future where Committee on Jammu and Kashmir. The "multiple technologies will intersect and delegation included MRM Patron Indresh Kumar, interoperate". former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, MRM BrahMos, developed jointly in a strategic National Convener Mohd. Afzal and others. partnership between Bharatiya DRDO (Defence The delegation also urged Rashtrapati to direct the Research and Development Organisation) and Government to scrap the controversial Article 370 Russian NPO Mashinostroyeniya, is a stealth guaranteeing special status to the state of J & K. cruise missile with a range of 290 km and travels The MRM had collected 8, 04,598 signatures of at a speed of Mach 2.8 to 3. the Muslims in Bharat demanding total rejection The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from of the report of the interlocutors and scrapping of the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of Article 370. Bharat and the Moskva of Russia.

6

13. RSS OR ITS FUNCTIONARY INDRESH 16. 14TH CENTURY JAIN MANUSCRIPT KUMAR HAS NO ROLE IN MALEGAON NOW A GLOBAL TREASURE: Shantinatha BLAST CASE; SAYS NIA:The National Charitra a text written in Sanskrit, that describes Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the the life and times of Shantinatha, the 16th Jain Malegaon blasts of 2006 that rocked the Muslim- Tirthankara has been included in the most majority textile town, believes that the RSS was prestigious list of the worlds greatest documents. never in favour of carrying out the terror strike. UNESCO’s world heritage body on June 19 According to the NIA, Indresh Kumar did meet included the Bharatiya entry in the Memory of the RSS member Sunil Joshi in Jaipur a few months World Register 2013 and said the story is of before the Malegaon lasts. During that meeting, lasting value to humankind. Joshi had told Kumar about the plan to carry out The manuscript talks about peace, non-violence an attack in Malegaon. Kumar is believed to have and brotherhood and was composed and written in told Joshi that neither he nor the Sangh would the late 14th century.It contains 10 images from support an act of terror. During the meeting, the life of Shantinatha in the style of Jain paintings Kumar reportedly said the RSS does not support from Gujarat. UNESCO said the document is an the eye-for-an-eye ideology propagated by Joshi universal message of friendship, global peace and and others. unity with integrity. 14. IN A FIRST, GIRLS AMONG IIT It also describes historical facts and professes high ENTRANCE TEST TOPPERS: The 16 year- moral and cultural values. The illustrations found old, Sibbala Leena Madhuri, originally from in this manuscript are oldest specimens of Thirupathi and now based in Hyderbad, is one of miniature painting.These illustrations are the first two girls ever to feature in the top 10 beautifully drawn in multi-colour and are ranks of the entrance exam to the Indian Institutes examples of a highly evolved style of painting. As of Technology (IITs). Her rank is eighth; the other these illustrations are rarest of rare, their girl, Aditi Laddha from Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh preservation and protection is necessary for (Delhi zone), is sixth. humanity. These are the best and oldest examples 15. HINDI HOT FAVOURITE AMONG of miniature paintings while the story itself is of FIRANGS: Hindi is the new favourite with lasting value to humankind, UNESCO added. foreign students in Delhi University. For the first The manuscripts are owned by Lalbhai Dalpatbhai time, 10 Chinese students have applied for Hindi Institute of Indology. It was donated by late Muni in DU this year. Candidates from 10 other Punyavijayji who had inherited it through family. countries have also applied for Hindi course. The Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology has a Moreover, there has been a marginal increase in rich collection of nearly 75,000 rare manuscripts. number of foreign aspirants. Students from over 17. ANDERSON COUNCIL OPENS WITH 100 nations have registered this year as against 90 HINDU MANTRAS: The Anderson City Council in 2012. had its first historic Hindu invocation on June 18, According to the foreign students registry of the containing verses from world's oldest existing university, while the maximum applications have scripture. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered been received for Bachelor in Management the invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures Studies, commerce and political science, the before the City Council. After Sanskrit delivery, surprise trend has been the growing interest in he then read the English translation of the prayer. Hindi. While aspirants from neighbouring Zed recited from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh used the world still in common use, besides lines from to come for Hindi course, it's the interest of the Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita. He started and Chinese students which is noteworthy. ended the prayer with "Om". 7

18. NEPALI COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA About 1,300 workers and 150 engineers worked GIFT BUDDHA STATUE TO PM GILLARD: tirelessly overcoming all odds for the last seven Nepali community in Australia has presented a gift years to accomplish the engineering marvel. The of Buddha statue along with a letter wishing world tunnel passes approximately 440 metres below the peace to the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia existing Jawahar Road Tunnel. Gillard. Gillard thanked for the gift and expressed 22. PM'S DAUGHTER HONOURED FOR her happiness to "have an opportunity to decorate PIONEERING WORK IN HUMAN RIGHTS her office with statue of Buddha as a peace LAW: Prominent legal activist Amrit Singh has symbol". been honoured for her groundbreaking work in the 19. INCREDIBLE INDIA! NOW IN ALL UN field of human rights law, along with a number of LANGUAGES: To attract more Chinese and other noted Bharatiya-Americans including US Germans tourists, who are among the high Congressman Ami Bera and USAID chief Rajiv spenders on tourism annually, Ministry of Tourism Raj Shah. Singh, 43, the youngest daughter of has floated tenders for agencies to convert the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a senior legal Bharatiya tourism website — Incredible India — officer for National Security and Counterterrorism in all United Nation languages plus four other at the New York-based Open Society Justice foreign languages. Initiative. She received the India Abroad Ministry of Tourism has also set themselves a Publisher's Special Award for Excellence 2012, at target of six months for the job. “We have also the event organised by 'India Abroad' on June 21. hired translators for converting the website, which 23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Shri is so far accessible in English to five remaining Indravadan Gandhi and family - UK, Susri Anita UN languages - Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Patel- Kenya. Spanish along with Japanese, Korean, Italian and FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Dr. Hedgewar had German,” said an official from the Tourism dived deep into past history and recognized certain Ministry. basic truths: Ours was not a nation born just 20. NOW, RAIL LINK TILL KATRA: Travel yesterday. It has been here since ages, in fact long for devotees to the famous Vaishno Devi shrine before other nations of the world appeared on the will become more comfortable with trains stage. Nor was it primitive or uncivilized. When expected to go right up to Katra, the shrine's base most of the modern nations of the West were not camp, from August. Railways is going to open the yet out of the jungles and the world had not even 25-km Udhampur-Katra rail link in August as heard of Jesus or Mohammed, our country was work on the difficult route is almost complete. universally revered for its achievements in every The Udhampur-Katra rail route to be completed at sphere of human activity – science, arts, an estimated cost of Rs 960 crore passes through commerce, philosophy and spirituality. And all hostile terrain, making it an extremely challenging this was made possible by the endless efforts and railways project. The route consists of seven sacrifices of the Hindu people. This fact has been tunnels and 30 small and big bridges, including - a acknowledged in glowing terms by all the great 185-feet high tunnel. A total of seven tunnels span historians – foreign as well as Indian, old and over 10 km of the 25-km stretch. modern. This is precisely why this land has been 21. LONGEST RAILWAY TUNNEL OPENS: called Hindusthan, the cradle-land of the – A11-km-long tunnel across the treacherous Pir which only goes to show that this is verily a Hindu Panjal mountain range on the Banihal-Qazigund Nation, i.e., Hindu Rashtra. – Dr. Hedgewar the railway line in Jammu and Kashmir, dedicated on Epoch-Maker by B. V. Deshpande and S.R. June 26 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is Ramaswamy. the longest such transportation passage in Bharat. JAI SHREE RAM 8